Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory abruptly resigned a day before the third-party group planned to announce its presidential candidate selection committee
As RFK Jr. ponders which celebrity to tap as his VP, another third-party presidential ticket seems to be running out of steam.
No Labels, the self-proclaimed centrist organization with dark money funding, had one of its national leaders abruptly resign Wednesday.
Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R), who served as one of the group’s national co-chairs, informed the organization he was quitting to spend more time with his family, according to the Wall Street Journal. The departure arrives a day before No Labels was set to debut a committee for selecting its presidential candidate. McCrory began working for the organization a year after his failed 2022 Senate campaign and had said he was on the road volunteering for the group.
“I wish them the best. It was a great honor to serve. I am still rooting for the movement,” he told WSJ.
Among those remaining in No Labels’ national leadership are former Vice Presidential candidate Joe Lieberman and civil rights activist Benjamin Chavis Jr. Former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) is the director of their national ballot integrity project.
With President Joe Biden and Donald Trump securing the presumptive nominations for the two major parties, time is running out for No Labels to formally field a ticket for its ballot line.
The centrist group, which launched its third-party efforts with grand ambitions — and a reported $70 million ballot access campaign — has struggled to recruit potential candidates for the third-party bid. Most credible names have passed on potential No Labels bids: Retiring Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) declined to run, while former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) chose to run for Senate instead.
Last week WSJ reported that one name being floated is former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican who has little national name ID. The group has yet to specify whether its ticket will involve a Republican and a Democrat, a Republican and an independent, or two Republicans.
Source link: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/no-labels-co-chair-pat-mccrory-quits-1234987345/